Scanning device for carrying out a 3D scan of a dental model, sliding panel therefore, and method therefor

1. A method of producing a 3D scan of a tooth model, using a scanning system wherein an object to be scanned is fixed to a sliding panel and said object to be scanned is imaged by an image detecting unit as a number of single images, and for the creation of a 3D data set of the tooth model a computation is carried out by an evaluation unit, comprising the following steps: creating a first image of said object to be scanned at a specific locked position, moving said sliding panel to at least one further specific locked position and creating another image at each such position, creating a 3D data set by evaluating the images produced at said at least two different, precisely defined positions, and calibrating the scanning system by creating images of a calibration body in a plurality of positions on a sliding panel and evaluating said images at said positions in said evaluation unit and storing the calibration data in memory any displacement of an image segment during vertical adjustment of the image detecting unit is automatically corrected by the evaluation unit by implementing the direction of displacement determined during calibration of the scanning system for the purpose of shifting identical image segments in two images created at adjacent positions along the direction of displacement such that marginal areas of the two images essentially match each other.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein an image segment is viewed on a display by an operator prior to the creation of each new image and a sharp layer is positioned by adjusting a height of the image detecting unit such that an area to be imaged yields a sharp image.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 , wherein the image detecting unit automatically adjusts the sharp image area by implementing means for determining the sharp image area and means for adjusting the position of the sharp image area.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the spacing of the locked positions of the sliding panel are known to said evaluation unit which joins the images together with an offset specified by said spacing of the locked positions of the sliding panel.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the evaluation unit compares the individual images with each other in a marginal area of the images in order to determine a position relationship between the images.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the single images are combined to form a composite data set.